


True Name: Your First Confession of Love

by Sixfallenstars



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 18:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13196418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sixfallenstars/pseuds/Sixfallenstars
Summary: A promise to protect & a confession of love. As a child, Mikleo vowed himself to Sorey's side lest the fragile human meet his demise.





	True Name: Your First Confession of Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something I started on in the middle of the night several months ago to try and finally get back into writing. & finally getting back into writing I am! So even if this piece sounds forced & rough, it helped me out a lot with just getting back into it. I hope that it's somewhat enjoyable at least--!

     It'd been two weeks since leaving Elysia and all Sorey had known growing up, for a world below he'd only read about in books. It was strange to think that all of this had been borne of a desire to protect Alisha, and had thus fatefully thrust the weight of the world upon his shoulders as the Shepherd.

     It'd thence been a week since, Sorey so driven by the idea that with his newfound capabilities, he could make a difference in the state of the world. The troubles of the world were something he could remedy just as Shepherds of past had, he thought. It’d only sunken in that very same day that, despite the power Lailah had granted him, he couldn’t hope to handle things on his own.

     Mikleo had given him a good earful for attempting as much. It'd been a long time since Mikleo had been quite so infuriated by Sorey's stubbornness, resolutely putting his foot down for his own strong ideals. That in itself had finally managed to talk some sense into Sorey.

     Mikleo always did have his reasons.

     Yet, even with harsh truths of his burden weighing on his mind, a night like this seemed to ease away the tension. The full moon was shining brightly amidst an array of stars that dotted the skies in all directions, seeming for that instant like nothing was wrong in the world.

     It was the first night in two weeks that Sorey allowed himself to truly relax, leaning back against the side of the inn. He took in deep breaths of the night's cool, refreshing air and exhaled slowly. All the stress that had begun to accumulate already seemed to fall away as he stared up at the skies above.

     "Sorey." Came a familiar voice, the sound of the inn door shutting beside him following suit.

     It pulled Sorey's attention from the skies to watch his dearest friend step beside him, a fond smile meeting his lips. Mikleo looked as beautiful as ever, his hair shining in the moon's brilliant light and capes billowing behind him as he strode next to Sorey's side.

     "Mikleo!” Sorey chimed happily at his friend, “Everything alright?” He asked, pushing himself off from the side of the inn to face Mikleo. The Seraph’s expression was nigh unreadable as he took up a spot besides Sorey, arms crossed over his chest in an expectant manner.

     "I should be the one asking you that." Mikleo said, his tone serious and yet, laced with the slightest hints of concern for his companion.

     For just a moment, their gazes met and Sorey felt a soft, adoring smile spread across his lips. Afterwards, Mikleo’s arms uncrossed and both males allowed their gazes to flicker to the heavens above. It was the same sight they’d set out under two weeks prior; less clear from where they were now and yet still so very beautiful.

     "...Yeah, I was just thinking about Elysia and wondering how everyone's doing." Sorey admitted quietly, unconsciously scooting a bit closer to Mikleo until their sides lightly brushed against one another’s.

     It earned a soft snort from Mikleo, sending an elbow into Sorey's side gently. Thus prompted a grumbly ‘oof’ from Sorey, to which a smile suddenly broke out across Mikleo’s lips in a softer, more subtle manner than his companion’s own.

     "Feeling homesick? I figured you'd have a lot on your mind, so I came to check on you. These last few weeks have been nothing short of crazy." Mikleo said, his gaze falling from the skies and to the vibrantly lit cityscape before them.

     A city like this was beyond anything they could've imagined before, and it was only the beginning of their journey together. Ahead of them, they had so many incredible things they were going to witness, and painful hardships to endure. Both of them, irrevocably, knew this. It was a lot to take in, and so to have one another at their side was at least one familiar comfort.

     "Yeah... I guess so." Sorey said simply, reaching into one of his bags to retrieve his well-loved copy of the Celestial Record. It was soothing to hold; it one of the most important gifts Gramps had ever given him as a child. Such was, after all, the very book that had sparked within him great respect for the Shepherds, history, and a desire to see a world where human and Seraphim could co-exist together in harmony.

     Suddenly, a soft laugh escaped Sorey, bumping his shoulder against Mikleo's.

     "Lailah was pretty surprised when I knew your true name, wasn't she!" Sorey exclaimed happily, a hint of pride in his tone.

     At that, Mikleo gave a short laugh of his own and stepped a few paces from the wall and towards the railing that surrounded the inn. He leaned heavily against it, both arms resting atop the metal.

     "Well, you know what it means for a Seraph to give their true name." Mikleo said, his voice even despite the very implication he was stating. It was, by far, the deepest confession of love and respect for a Seraph.

     The day he'd given his name to Sorey was the same day he'd vowed himself to Sorey's side to protect the fragile human for any further harm than had come that day.

     "I remember that day... We were pretty clumsy as kids, huh?" Came the gentle, fondly reminiscing response.

     Clumsy didn't really begin to cover it, though. Sorey had always gotten them into tight spots of trouble, but one particular time had been worse than any other.

-

     "Woahhh, this place is amazing, Mikleo!"

     A young Sorey had happily proclaimed once they’d both entered into the Mabinogio ruins together, running to and fro from statue to statue to examine them all with such childish wonder in his eyes. All whilst a certain young Seraph more hesitantly followed after him, considerably more nervous about his unfamiliar, unexplored surroundings.

     "Sorey, be careful, there could be traps in here like the Celestial Record said!" Mikleo called out to his companion, sticking close to him while Sorey practically spun about in circles trying to take all the sights in at once. There were so many incredible designs, shapes and unusual blocks present in the area that he wanted to take time to examine everything. He only stopped his excited glancing about when he took note of an unusual carving on one wall, close beside a giant statue of an angry looking deity.

     "We'll be okay. And if anything happens, I'll protect you, Mikleo!" Sorey boasted, leaning forward as he examined the pattern, deeply carved into the wall in an intricate manner. It looked similar to a bow and arrow pointing to the heavens, incredibly detailed for how small of a space it took up.

     "I think I'm the one who's supposed to be protecting y--!" Mikleo started, only to be cut off by Sorey, whom suddenly tapped his fist into one hand with a, 'Oh, I know!'

     "Huh?" Mikleo questioned, gaze upon Sorey with curiosity.

     "I figured it out, Mikleo!" Sorey said with a nod as he reached into his bag and opened up the Celestial Record. He flipped rapidly through the pages before stopping on one in particular; one which displayed the very same symbol presented before them now.

     "The symbol of divine water... If you use a water arte on it, it should do something. It might open up a room full of treasure, Mikleo!" Sorey said, looking very proud of himself for solving the great mystery of the symbol.

     Mikleo on the other hand, seemed a little less convinced with Sorey's argument and a little less eager to open up this supposed path to treasure.

     "But... What if it doesn't open up a treasure room and sets off a trap? You could get hurt!" Mikleo argued back, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. There was a certain emphasis on Sorey being the one who’d end up hurt, _not_ so much himself.

     "Aw, but Mikleoooo!" Sorey whined, taking hold of Mikleo's arm and childishly shaking it with his lower lip protruding in a pout.

     Mikleo met Sorey’s gaze and he found, much to his deep disdain, the other boy was giving him ‘the look’; puppy-dog eyes he couldn’t ignore even when it was for Sorey’s own sake. It ultimately earned a deep, exasperated sigh from the young boy, knowing he was defeated at the hands of such determination. Sorey would surely continue on like this until he gave in.

     "Okay, okay! But... Let's be careful." Mikleo said in a quiet voice, holding his hands in front of the symbol on the wall.

     Forth from his palms, a large bubble sprung forward and hit the symbol with an aqueous sounding 'bloop'. As it popped, a vibrant blue glow suddenly emanated from the bow and arrow which, suddenly, seemed to whir with an unfamiliar energy. With it, the whole of the ruin itself seemed to rumble underneath their feet. It sent down a shower of pebbles at their feet and from deep within the walls, it sounded as though a heavy stone block had fallen.

     Suddenly, a previously-hidden doorway right beside the symbol slowly heaved open, sending a spray of long-undisturbed dust into the air around them. Several moments passed before it cleared away, leaving before the boys, the sight of the newly opened chamber.

     The pair gaped with awe and wonder in their eyes at what they witnessed with just a few tentative steps into the chamber. The wall, on the opposite side to the one they entered into, held an incredible, intricately designed bas-relief mural that spanned the entirety of the wall. Just underneath it was a pedestal, upon which was a dusty, reddened sword with glints of gold decorating the blade.

     The sight of this supposed treasure room caused such a stir of excitement within Sorey that, without considering the potential dangers of running ahead, he darted off in front of Mikleo.

     "This is it! We found the treasure room, Mikleo! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" Sorey cheered with such joy as he did a twirl right in the middle of the room.

     "Wait for me, Sorey!" Mikleo called to him in a nervous tone, running after his excited friend.

     He met at Sorey's side just as he'd picked the sword up from it's place on the pedestal, eager to get a closer look at the intricate golden design that was etched directly into the metal frame.

     “Mikleo, take a look at this! Doesn't it look a lot like the design depicted in the Celestial Re--!" Sorey was suddenly cut off as the ground heaved once again, shaking violently with the heavy impact of stone smashing against stone. A gasp escaped both boys as they turned back towards the entrance, the doorway that had opened up before them previously having fallen shut.

      "Oh no... Oh no, the entrance!" Mikleo cried out, gaze following Sorey as the boy, hesitantly, wandered over to the now-sealed doorway.

      "Uhhh, it's alright! We'll be okay, Mikleo. We just have to try and find a way to open it from this side!" Sorey proclaimed optimistically, one hand falling to his hip whilst he pointed his new-found treasure towards the ceiling.

      Mikleo gave Sorey a dubious look, a sigh escaping the young seraph's lips. This had been a bad idea from the start and he knew it, but there was no sense lingering on that sentiment. All they could do now was try to find a way out.

     "Okay... You can search on that side and I'll--" Mikleo suddenly cut himself off, his eyes going wide upon seeing, off to Sorey's side, two sets of arrows that had been revealed upon the door closing once more.

     As if on instinct, Mikleo launched himself forward towards Sorey, "Quick, move!" He cried out, earning a confused 'huh?' from Sorey just as the arrows shot from their locations in the wall.

     Small hands grabbed roughly onto the back of Sorey's shirt, yanking him backwards and out of the line of fire. Yet, it wasn't quite fast enough, as one of the arrows whizzed past Sorey, slicing through his shirt and skimming his chest with the sharpness of a knife.

    A shrill cry of pain echoed through the ruin chamber as Sorey landed heavily against Mikleo, who'd fallen backwards in attempting to rescue his friend. Sorey's hand was instantly upon his chest, his clothing becoming stained with his blood.

     "Mikleo... You saved me." Sorey said with a wince, clutching at his chest as if it might help. With a huff of exertion, Mikleo laid Sorey down on the dusty ruin floor and stared, wide-eyed, at his injured friend. He hadn't had much experience with humans and injuries, but blood – he knew that the sight of so much _blood_ meant that Sorey was badly hurt. Along with the front of his shirt and his cloak, the hand clutching at his wound was now reddened with it.

     "S-Sorey!! You're hurt... You're bleeding a lot..." Mikleo cried softly, his voice distressed and tears welling up in his eyes. He propped Sorey up onto his lap, pulling the boy's cloak off from around his neck. It earned a pained grunt from the boy, whom shifted as well as he could to help Mikleo remove it.

     "I--I need you to sit up a little bit, Sorey. I-I'll bind your chest to try and stop the bleeding..." Mikleo said in a shaking voice, trying to heave Sorey up into a sitting position.

     Sorey whimpered in pain, but did as he was told and raised up his arms so Mikleo could have access to his injury. Tightly, almost painfully tight, Mikleo wrapped the cloak around Sorey's chest in two solid loops and then carefully laid his friend down once more on the stone floor.

     "Mikleo... I'm sorry I made you come here and... For not listening to you." Sorey said softly, turning his head away from the Seraph with tears also glistening in his eyes. Now they were trapped, Sorey injured, and there seemed to be no certainty that they would be able to escape.

     "We'll... We'll get out of here, Sorey! Just... Just hang in there, I promise we'll get out of here!" Mikleo reassured his friend, leaning down to softly press a kiss to the boy's forehead. It earned a weak smile from Sorey as he allowed his eyes to fall shut. For the time being, there was nothing else to be done but to preserve his energy.

     Hours did pass, and at some point or another Sorey had fallen asleep in Mikleo's lap, the seraph every so often checking Sorey's breathing and his wounds. The bleeding had been stemmed, yet the boy's breathing continued on in a ragged way, growing more labored by the passing hours.

     Every time he found himself able to muster the energy, Mikleo splayed his fingers across Sorey's chest and attempted, again and again, to offer his newly-budding healing power. It was weak, but with each time casted, it seemed to offer at least a temporary relief in the boy's breathing.

     Mikleo was sure the arrow had been coated in some kind of poison, which made him shake and sob all the more as he realized just how fragile humans were. It struck him at that moment that Sorey might not survive, and that he'd be left all alone just because of how easily humans could die.

     "Sorey, please... You have to make it..." Mikleo wept, pressing kiss after kiss to the boy's forehead. "I swear on my true name...Luzrov Rulay... I-I'm going to keep you safe from now on, Sorey!"

     Sorey stirred on Mikleo's lap, a grunt escaping him.

     "...Luzrov... Rulay. Mikleo, your name is really beautiful." Sorey croaked out, awakened by the array of kisses and the soft, distressed sound of Mikleo's voice. "Thank you... Thank you for sharing it with me."

     A sense of relief at Sorey temporarily being awake washed through Mikleo, the seraph gently wrapping his arms around the other to hug him. It earned a quiet, strained laugh from Sorey as he nuzzled tiredly against Mikleo's lap.

     "C'mon, they probably ended up stuck in one of these rooms!" A voice suddenly called out, from behind the very wall that had abruptly shut on them earlier. A gasp escaped Mikleo as he suddenly perked up.

     "M-Mason! Gramps! Everyone!" Mikleo called out as loudly as he could in his hoarse voice. His gaze turned back on Sorey, the injured boy's smile as bright as it was sincere. They'd made it.

     The ground heaved all around them and the stone door, once again, opened to reveal a large search party with Mason at the forefront.

Mikleo had never looked forward to a scolding from Gramps until that moment where he knew they were all going to be alright.

\--

     "We're lucky we got out at all. You were bedridden with a fever for two weeks after." Mikleo concluded as he turned his back to the railing, gazing sternly at Sorey.

     "I'm grateful, y'know. You've always been there for me and you've probably saved my life more times than I can count. It's thanks to you... We get to go on this journey together and see this amazing world we live in." Sorey said dreamily, shifting to face Mikleo with nothing but fondness and adoration present in his gaze.

     That look was just like back then. It earned a scoff from Mikleo.

     "A romantic as always. But you've saved me a handful of times, too. So the feeling is mutual." Mikleo said with a grin.

     Even without speaking those feelings quite so openly, Sorey knew full well the extent of how he felt. It wasn't something that had waned with time; only grown stronger.

     "Let's head inside. Lailah's waiting for us, and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Mikleo concluded, pushing off from the railing to lead the way.

     It earned an appreciative nod from Sorey as he turned back towards the inn, following after Mikleo.

     For as many ways as there are to say 'I love you', Mikleo offering his true name may very well have been the deepest confession of it. Sorey had always been humbled by such sincerity hence.

 


End file.
